ITV announces cast taking part in the third series of Cooking With The Stars

ITV announces cast taking part in the third series of Cooking With The Stars

Emma Willis and Tom Allen return as hosts presiding over all the action as eight celebrities are paired with professional chefs who will mentor them, in a bid to transform them from amateur to expert in a matter of weeks. Produced by South Shore and co-funded by Marks & Spencer, this six-part cooking competition will transmit this summer on ITV1 and ITVX.

The eight celebrities taking part in the new series are BAFTA award-winning actor Jason Watkins, boxing legend Chris Eubank, actress Joanna Page, Coronation Street’s Samia Longchambon, singer and television personality Peter Andre, Busted’s Matt Willis, Steps’ Claire Richards and Love Island star Indiyah Polack.

Throughout the series the celebrities will be guided by their Chef Mentor as they attempt to create the winning dish in a series of intense Cooking Battles. The loser of each Battle will then have to fight for their place in the competition in the Cook Off – as they're tasked with creating a dish they’ve never seen before. Judged blind by all the chefs there is the possibility that the losing celebrity could be sent home by their own Chef Mentor. But who can handle the heat and go all the way to the end to become the culinary champion of this exciting cooking competition?

The professional chefs taking part in the challenge this year are British chef and TV presenter Rosemary Shrager (partnered with Peter Andre), chef director Jack Stein (partnered with Chris Eubank), Michelin Starred French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli (partnered with Samia Longchambon), Scottish chef and restaurateur Tony Singh MBE (partnered with Claire Richards), Michelin Starred executive chef Michael Caines MBE (partnered with Joanna Page), restauranter and cookery author Shelina Permalloo (partnered with Matt Willis), chef & restaurateur April Jackson (partnered with Jason Watkins) and award-winning chef Ellis Barrie (partnered with Indiyah Polack). 

Emma Willis said: “Filming Cooking With The Stars is always a highlight for me as not only do Tom and I have lots of fun but we also get to try some phenomenal food. We have a great cast this season, who will no doubt be feeling the pressure as they head into the kitchen. We've seen blood, sweat and tears on previous series and I'm sure this series will be no exception!”

Tom Allen said: “A whole lot of great food, celebs reaching boiling point plus Emma Willis and me holding court - sounds like my dream party. I am so excited to be bringing back to your screens the glitziest competitive cooking show in the world!”

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV said: “We’re thrilled Cooking With The Stars is returning for a new series this summer. We have a fantastic batch of celebrities whose kitchen prowess will be put to the test once again, and a team of exceptional professional chefs guiding them through the chaos in the kitchen.”

Caroline Davies, Director of Programmes at South Shore said: “We cannot wait for Emma and Tom to start the race to crown the Cooking with the Stars champion again. And with a cast of household names, some fantastic new chefs and the pressure of producing spectacular dishes in our pressure cooker of a kitchen; laughs, disasters and some unexpected flames are almost certainly guaranteed.”

Sharry Cramond, Marketing Director, M&S Food and Hospitality said: “We are thrilled with how successful Cooking With The Stars has been and the fact that it’s back for a third year. The stars and chefs are a great mix of ages and demographics which really reflects our customer base and will hopefully inspire all ages to get cooking!

“Over the last few months, we have seen shoppers take to social media to show their amazing food hauls from our M&S Foodhalls and how great the value and quality of our products are. Through Cooking With The Stars we want to continue to show that we are the perfect place to find quality products, at a remarkable value, for any day of the week - and that we have a strong offer for when you are scratch cooking as well as for when you want a freshly prepared meal.

“I personally can’t wait to see who wins the golden frying pan and the fun everyone will have along the way.”

Cooking With The Stars is a partnership between Marks & Spencer, ITV and South Shore. It was recommissioned for ITV by Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning, ITV and Paula Thomas Gallie, Commissioning Editor, Entertainment, ITV. Executive Producers for South Shore are Melanie Leach, Caroline Davies and Rosie Franks.

ITV Studios handles global distribution for Cooking With The Stars.

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